Folding-machine.



w. E. AMBERG. FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILE-D JULY 11, 1914.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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. J5 WaZfisrZZflmay W. E. AMBERG.

FOLDING MACHINE. APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 1!, 1914.

Patehtd Nov. 6, 1917.

4 sucars-suz'n 2 W. E. AMBERG.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 11. 1914.

1 $45,412 1 Patented. NGV. 5, 1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

a I immll l fil l In -11F M4:

W. E. AMBERG.

FOLDNG MACHINE.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 11, 1914.

1 ,25A21 Patented Nov. 6,1917.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

-WALTER E. AMBERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVALTER E. AMBERG, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, countyfof Cook,and State of Illinois,'have invented certain new and useful,Improvements in Folding-Machines, of

which the following is'a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in paper folding machlnes and hasspecial ref-' erence to improved devices for folding letter sheets,bills, circulars, and Similar articles.

Theobject of my invention is to provide a machine Which shall reduce thenecessary expenditure of time and labor in the folding of letter sheetsand similar pieces of paper; to'provide a simple and durable foldingmechanism which shall be easily operable to fold the sheet, either uponparallelv lines or upon lines which cross each other at right angles; toprovide a sheet folding device of simple construction and relatively lowcost, and adapted either for hand or power manipulation, and which shallbe suitable for use in business ofiices and the like for folding lettersof correspondence and such like articles for insertion into envelops.

In the folding of letter sheets and similar articles, particularly forinsertion into envelops, there are many arrangements and combinations offolds which it is desirable to make, ranging froma single fold formingtwo leaves to one which includes, first a crosswise fold and then thecrosswise folded sheet folded into small compass.

It is a special object of my invention to provide a folding machinewherein and whereby letter sheets and similar articles can be folded inany one of several ways depending upon the size of the sheet, and thedimensions desired for the folded sheet, upon lines at right angles tothe first fold, and consisting of one or more of such folds as may benecessary to produce the results desired.

My invention further contemplates the production of a machine or devicehaving a substantially fiat surface to receive the sheet to be foldedand adapted to fold the sheet. crosswise without the necessity ofplacing any mechanical holder above the sheet, and adapted tofold thecrosswise folded sheet at right angles to the first fold and on parallellines into a compact package and arranged Specification of LettersPatent.

Application filed July 11, 1914. Serial No. 850,490.

Patented Nov. 6, 1917.

My invention resides in a machine having a fiat surface to receive asheet to be folded,

a plate or other fiat obstruction having parallel side edges beneathwhich one portion of the sheet is adapted to be placed and means forforming the end portion or portions over and upon the obstruction orplate and around the edges thereof, and means for finally creasing thefold or folds thus formed to preserve the sheet in its folded condition.

My invention further resides in a machine having a substantially flatsurface to receive a sheet to be folded, means for holding the middleportion of the sheet against movement in a direction away from saidsurface and provided with rotatable'members adapted to lift either oneor both end portions of the sheet and rotate them around and upon theheld portion of the sheet, with means for creasing the edges of thefolds thus formed as the sheet is withdrawn from its folded pos i tion.

My invention further resides in a machine having a substantiallyhorizontal surface to receive the sheet, stops to retain the sheetagainst movement on the surface, a rotatable member supporting the endof the sheet opposite to said stops, preferably in inclined elevatedposition, and adapted to be rotated to fold said end down upon thestopped end and thereby fold the sheet crosswise, said plate in itsfinal position being adapted to form a holder for the middle portion ofsaid folded sheet to retain it in position, and r0 tatable platesarranged beneath the ends of said folded sheet adapted to raise saidends and fold them over and upon said holder and the middle portionofsaid sheet, and means for creasing the edges of the several folds asthe sheet is withdrawn from folded position.

My invention also resides in the several features of construction, andthe arrangements and combinations of parts, by means of which the aboveand other objects are attained, and all as hereinafter described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

My invention will be more readily understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and inwhich:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a. machine illustrating one embodiment ofmy invention, the several parts being shown in position to receive asheet of paper to be folded;

its

shown in two of t I Fig.10 isa similar] view showing the parts indifferent relative-positions; p

7 Fig. 11 is a detail showing the means "of -one of the sheet stops; 7 1"1o 2 a similar view o'f-the machine show ng the parts in partly foldedcondi- Fig. 3 is a longitudinal v 'ertical section on the l1ne.33 ofFig. l; Fig. 4, is a, similar section on the line H Fig. 4* is'an'enlarged detail side v ew of 1 1Figi5 is a bottom. plan View of thechine as shown in Fig. 1;.

Figs, 7, and 8, are transverse verticalv sectional view 'on the line 6-6of Fig l' showing the operating lever in several different positions fFig. 8* is an. enlargedielevation of the mechanism for operating theside blades;

Fig. 8""is a to plan View Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail sectional view ofthe o crating" mechanism which connects lie movable shafts in themachine;

ra t e Sw n ra I F 1gu12 adetail vertical sect onal view on the1line 12''12 "of Fig. 2 illustrating the creaser;

F ig. 12 is an end elevation of one of the creas ng devices; 7 Fig. 13is a transverse vertical sectional 1 c View on the line13'13 of Fig. 2,the side plates being in extended position;

Fig. 14 is a section similar to. Fig. 13

"showin ,the side plates in folded position plates relatively to theseveral sheets which the upon *t ecentral plate,

the l ne 1'a 15 of Fig. 2; p

Fi 16. isia'section'similar to Fig. 15 showing the positions of theframe locking before the frame reaches its final position; i

17 r022, inclusive,.illustrate sheets ofpaper of various relativedimensions which tlni'mac'hine is adaptedto fold; I

23 "to 28 ,inclus1ve, aredia ramand illustrating the manner inmachinevfolds' these sheets; V I p F igs. 29 and '30 are cross sectionalviews l illustrating the position of the several plates and the sheetwhich is being folded,

asillustrated in Figs. .23 and 24, respectively; and. r

' Fig. 31 is a view similar to Fig. 30, but.

' illustrating the folding of the long sheet shown in Fig. 19. p

Ashereinbefore stated, my machine is particularly 7 adapted forffoldingletter sheets,

circulars and similar pieces of paper for insertion into envelops, andis provided with a substantially fiat. surface upon which a sheet ofpaper may be easily placed for fold ith me he ing, and is provided witha number'of rela= tively' movable formers, leaves or plates adaptedtoreceive, hold, and form or fold the sheet.

which the sheet is placed that there is no obstruction above the surfaceto hinder the placement of the sheet in position; In the plates B and Cthese slde plates are rotatable over and upon the plate A'one in advanceof theother. The plate A ismounted in. Such a manner that itv maybe moved or rotated'awayflfrom the upper surfaceof the box in such a wayas to'place'itslowen surface uppermostand' in such position that itextends away from or beyond the plates B and G. In such position itforms a support "for the paper sheet, intended to be I so arrange theplates upon the plate A has beenplaced' between'the folded upon themachine, and in combinetion with the plates B and (land the top of thebox forms a substantially level or free surface upon, which to place thesheet of paper tofbe folded. The plate A is so mounted that it can beswung or rotated over and uponthe base to a position between the plates13 and (land in a plane therewith, as shown in Fig. 2, and when it hasreached this position, as stated, the plates B and C areadapted to. berotated to a position above the'platje A one in advance of the'other,The machine includes an operating leverand mechanism bywhich theseplates are successively placed in position above the middle portion ofthebase D, as.

described,;when the lever is moved in one direction," and when the leveris moved in the other directionthe plates are swun or movedtotheirstarting or original positions eachcomplete movement of the lever serving to fold a sheet of pa er which is laid uponthe several plates v wen. in their open or-originalpositions.

As shown in Figs. 1 and '3 the plate A preferably occupies an upwardlylnclinedr position before it is swung down, but it will beunderstOodthat the angle at which itris disposed'may vary through a wide rangewithout departing from my invention, that is, whether level with theplates B and C. or elevated at. an angle thereto, it Withthe' plates Band C and the top of the base forms a substantially flat surface .uponwhich the sheet of paper to be folded may be placed. The former or plateA isrotatable in one vertical plane, and the side formers or plates Band C are rotatable in a'plane at rightangles thereto.

In Fig. 1 I have illustrated. by means of the dotted line E, the outlineof a sheet of paper which the machine is adapted to fold, this sheetresting upon the plates B and C at one end and upon the plate A at theother end. In Fig. 2 the dotted line E shows thissheet' in the partlyfolded condition, the portion of the sheet which was supported by theplate A having been folded over upon the :portion of the sheet restingupon the plates 13 and C and in condition to be completely folded by therotation of the plates B and C over and upon the plate A. The former orplate A is mounted upon a swinging yoke a which is rotatably mountedupon the forward end of the box and is operatively connected with theoperating handle F located at the opposite end of the box by means ofwhich the yoke can be swung from its extended-position shown in Figs 1and 3 to its closed position, shown in Figs. 2 and 4. The lever isarranged to move transversely of the box, that is, in a plan at rightangles to the direction in which the yoke a rotates and the mechanismfor connecting the handle F with theyoke a will be fullydescribedhereinafter.

The former A is secured to the middle portion of the yoke a by means ofscrews or rivets a and when the yoke is in its depressed position theplate A lies substantially in contact with the upper surface of the baseor box I), and its secured end is adjacent to the handle or operator F.

The. plates B and C, as ex lained, are arranged at the two sides of tieplate A and are mounted to rotate upon axes substantially in alinementwith their inner edges. The plates B and C are mounted at one endadjacent to the handle F on short shafts c and Z2 respectively, and attheir opposite ends are provided with extension brackets or arms 0 and 6respectively each having a pintle 0 in axial alinement with the shaft atthe opposite'end of the plate and mounted in a rigid bracket a securedto and rising from the base.

The length and width of the several plates are determined by the resultswhich are desired, that. is, if the machine is designed to fold sheetsfor what are termed long envelops the several plates may be made ofconsiderable length, that is, long enough to fold the sheets on parallellines to fit the long envelope and the width of the several plates maybe arranged likewise, for folding a sheet to the compass desired, eithernarrower or broader, according to the conditions to be fulfilled.

I provide such an operating connection between the lever F and the yokec that I am enabled to swing the yoke very rapidly when I rotateit tomove the plate A down upon the base, and consequently the plate in thusmoving over and being thrown down upon the base when folding a sheet ofpaper creates a considerable pressure upon the upper surface of thepaper which pressure serves. to hold the paper back between the adjacentends of the plate A and the plates B and C, and form the first fold,which of course is across the sheet. At such time there is noobstruction or projection ar ranged above the sheet to form this fold,the fold being produced by the rapid movement of the plate A over andupon the base. For the purpose of retaining the sheet in proper relationto the several plates, I provide adj ustable end stops (Z against whichone end of the sheet is adapted to be positioned, and an adjustable sidestop d against which the one side edge of the sheet is adapted to bepositioned. These stops are all adjustable from and toward the center ofthe base for the purpose of causing the machine to produce the folds atdesired positions in the sheet being folded. The method of mountingthese stops and their adjustment will be fully described hereinafter.

To further assist in the formation of the first or cross fold, I providepaper stops a and a which project upwardly from the surface of the plateA, the stop (1 at its outer end adjacent to the yoke a to take the longsheets and the stop a spaced inwardly therefrom to take the shortsheets. As shown in Fig. 1 the outerend of the sheet E, when the sheetis laid upon the machine, is spaced inwardly from the stop a, but itwill be understood that as the yoke is swung over there is a relativemovement between the sheet and the stop, the sheet sliding out along theplate until the edge contacts with the stop, that is, during the firstpart of the movement of the yoke. The stop thus assists in the formingof the first fold for immediately the sheet contacts with the stop theforming of the first fold is forced. The exact relation of the positionof this first fold to the length of the sheet is controlled by theadjustable stops d which contact with the opposite end of the sheet. Theweight of the yoke A. and the plate which it carries and the rapiditywith which it moves, produce a certain amount of throw or momentum asthe yoke reaches the limits of its movement, and several of the important features in my invention reside in the means which I havedevised for overcoming the objectionable effects of the throw of theyoke, and means for reducing the noise incident to its operation as wellas incident to the operation of the plates B and C. To assist inovercoming this momentum I make the plate A of resilient or springmetal, and I control its free or inner end a in such away that thisplate is sprung out of its normal parallel relation to the yoke a ateach limit-ofits'motion in'sucha direct'ion astopfiset or balancethethrow of" the yoke; For the purpose of assistinginthis reduction andnoise, 'I pad the upper sur- 1d, one at each side,-and spaced apart sothat the plate A-will restupon the flat upper sur- 7 l gfaces ofthesestrips when in its depressed face ofrthe base D. by; means of. a sheet dof felt or other suitable material, which. covers most of; theupper'surface. of the baseyand for the purpose of providing a: smooth.sur- I i face upon which theaplate A i's adapted to rest in its'finalposition and upon whichit may hold'or press the sheet which 'is beingfolded, I provide sheet metal barsor strips position.

Asshownin 13, the padding on the upper face of "the" base issufiiciently raised at the sid so that the plates BiandC cannot touchany metallicsportion of the base,

7' but will be received' upon these pads; This serves to lessen thenoise of: operationlof the machine; "The stops d, as clearly shown inFig. 4 ,'are L-shapedin cross section having a knife edge projection. konjtheir lower endsadapted to project beneath the sheet:

e of "paper,,which is being placedupon'them,

, and are curved forwardly upon their upper ends k fso' as to preventthe edge "of the I paper-rising above their tops. Furthermore,

to: assist this holding of the'edge ofthe sheetin Position, I providethe forward face of these stops with" slight horizontal serrations orgroovesrk which engage the edge of the sheet of paper and prevent.the'edge of the sheet sliding upward along the stop .and becomingdisengaged therefrom. 1 As shown in Figs. 1 and 3 I providedepressions dinthe upper surface of the base adapted to receive the freeend of theplate A' and forming shoulders d? which engage the Plate I A when thevyoke is in its outer position, and

"which tend to holdthe iner end "of the plate yoke and bring it easilyto a state of rest. As shown in Fig. 4, the relation of the yoke 0.

5 run away from :or out of alinement with t e yo e.-- Consequentlyfasthe'yoke reaches its 7 by t ie meansdescribed, serves to" cushion theuter position the spring of the plate A,

to the base,; Wheni-n its closed position, is

' such that the plate A' is sprungin. the oppos site direction; that is,the axis upon wh ch the yoke rotates issoiarranged in relation.

: the sheetof paper being folded with a slight pressure. e V

In order to assistinthe stopping of the yoke 11",. as it reaches itsdepressed portion,

I provide-a spring stop d arranged onthe base midway between theplates'B and C and so positioned that when the yoke is depressedthemiddle portion of the fixed end of the plate" A will strike thespring'and the yoke will thus be yieldingly brought-to a state. of rest.;1 Theshafts bfQ' V and-;-0 ,1which form parts of the plates B; and C," aremounted in' bearings. formed in a box-like} extension M ofthe baseprovided on the top of the rear endthereofi- These, shafts. arepositioned, as shown in the amw-= ings, substantiallyin. alinement withthe ad jacent horizontal edges fof-the plate, A and the platesB and C,and-areadapted, when moved, to rotate the plates B and C fromtheirextended or outerpositions which they occupy when at rest topositions over upon and above the plate A when in its depressedposition. I secure the plates B and Cto. their respective shafts in sucha manner,

that is, more or less removed from the axes of theshafts, that when theyare'rotated to positionsover the middle portion of the tions shownwithout departing from the spirit of my invention. For the purpose ofoperating the several plates or formers, at

their proper times, I arrange the operating lever F at the rear end ofthe base and ad,- jaccnt to the housing M. I mount it upon one end of ahorizontal rock shaft d carried in suitable bearings in the base andsaid shaft d is adapted 'to be rotated back and forth bythetransversemovement of the lever F. I provide a second shaft 03 parallelwith (the shaft 03 and geared thereto by means of segmental pinions dandd For swinging or "rotating the frame ll1v which carries the plate A,I provide a transverse shaft G mounted in suitable hearings in the baseof the machinev and, as ;h ereto fore described, the frame a is swungover from its outwardly {inclined position, as

inFig. 4, in advance of the movements of the plates B and C.- Foreffecting this movement I oscillate the shaft G through a limited arcby'means of a'crank arm (i secured upon the inner end of the shaft d andengaging with a slotted crank arm secured upon the shaft G. Referringparticularly to Fig. 10, it will be seen that I have shown'these twomembers in" their related positions, for purposes of illustration, asthey appear in the bottom plan view Fig. 5. The crank g isprovided witha recess 9 and a curved arm 9*. The recessis adapted to receive theouter end of the crank arm Thecrank arm d is received in shown in Fig.3, to its closed'position, shown the recess 9 and when rotated in thedirection of the arrow (Fig. 9) rotates the shaft G and moves the arm 9upwardly until the end of the arm 6 11 disengages the side of the recessand a further movement of the arm (Z causes the outer end of'the arm (Zto sweep along the curved surface formed on the arm 9 The purpose ofthis is to prevent any backward movement of the arm and thus lock theframe a during the interval that the end of the arm (Z is not in therecess IVhen the shaft (Z is rotated in the opposite direction the outerend of the arm sweeps back along the curved surface g enters the recess51 and rotates the shaft G and arm 9 back to the position shown in Fig.9. I

The frame a comprises an outer transverse bar a and side bars or rods aThe freeends of these side bars are secured to rotatable members a whichare mounted in the side walls of the boX adjacent to its forward end.These members a project through the walls of the box and are provided ontheir inner ends with segmental pinions a. They are mounted for rotationupon bearing rods a secured in position in the boX and provided on theirouter ends with heads a which secure these members a against movementaway from the box. I provide the shaft G with finger gears 9 one on eachend, adapted to engage with the segmental pinions a and adapted torotatethe frame a back and forth when the handle F is moved back and forth. Bymeans of this construction I am enabled to swing the frame a from itsextended to its closed position in advance of the movement of theplatesB and C, that is, the first operation of the movement of thehandle F during whichtime the finger gears c and b are out 'ofengagementwith the pinions 0 and b the frarnea is closed down upon the base and isin its closed position at the time that the plate C begins to move. Thelateral projection g? on the slotted crank 9 serves, in combination withthe crank (Z to lock the frame a in its depressed position during thecontinuance of the movement of the lever F. V v

It is my-purpose to-retain the plates B andv C stationary and locked intheir outer or'normal positions until after the plate A has reached itsdepressed position and then to rotate them rapidly one in advance of theother over-upon theplate A. To accomplish these results I provide theactuating mechanism; illustrated. This mechanism comprises the segmentalgears (Z and d, the gear (Z being formed upon the hub of the gear 0 andthe gear (Z being formed upon the hub of the gear j A single tooth dwhich forms a part of the handle F, is made to engage two auxiliaryteeth(Z and (P on the gear 0 The tooth el is of greater pitch and diameterthan the gear al and consequently when the shaft (Z is rotated it ismoved at a proportionately higher speed than the shaft (Z I provide alocking cam surface (Z forming part of the handle F and adapted toengage the single tooth (Z of the gear d during the first portion of themovement of the handle and thus prevent the shaft 6Z8 rotating. Totransmit motion to the shafts b and c for rotating the plates B and C Imount a small segmental pinion c and 6 upon respective shafts c and band these are engaged respectively by finger gears c and b mountedrespectively upon the shafts (Z and (Z the gear 0 being mounted freelyupon the shaft (Z and the gear 6 being secured to rotate with the shaft(i When the handle 'F is in its first position, as shown in Fig. 6, thefinger gears c and bears out of engagement with the pinion c and b butto prevent the plates B and C from being moved at such time I provide alocking arm 0* and Z2 on respective finger gears and b which arearranged to engage complementary locking cams 0 and b on respectivepinions c and 6 As shown in Figs. 7 and 8 .these locking parts areformed to move out of engagement when the finger gears swing intoengagement with the pinions 0 and 5?. I so proportion and position thefinger gears and b that the gear 0 engages with the pinion 0 before thegear 72 engages with the pinion b and consequently the plate 0 is swungor rotated in advance of the plate B. Furthermore, the gear 0 passes outof engagement with the pinion 0 at the time that the plate C reaches itsfolded position and a further movement of the handle F carries the plateB to its final position upon the plate C. It will now be understood thatthe first part of the movement of the handle F serves to swing down theplate A,both B. and C being stationary, and when the plate A has reachedits finalposition the plates'B andC are rotated over upon the plate A,the plate C in advance of the plate B, and furthermore that-at timeswhen any plate is not moving it is locked in its position. R

hen the frame a descends upon the base and it strikes the spring (Z itwould tend to reboundand interfere with the operation of the plates Band C, but once it has descended into contact with the base I lock it insuch position for a sufficient-time to destroy the rebounding tendency.For this purpose I provide a locking bolt I-I mounted in'the upper partof the housing and hav ing its rear end 72 projecting into the path ofthe lever F, and its forward end it adapted to be projected into thepath of a spring latch I)? carried by the frame a 7 As best shown inFigs. 1, 2, 15, and 16, the lever'F contacts with the rear end of thebolt when at about the middle of its moval from the machine} I a a a a,movementat the timethat the plate A has reached its lowest position,and pushes the yholt through the housing projecting ts forwardend intothe path of the springlatch if" "The latch isbeveled in its outer faceso thatif the bolt is in'its wayasthe frame d? descends the latch lwillspring past the end [of thebolt andfthe boltv Wlll engage the upperedgeof the" latch andprevent the frame a from rising! I: make the rearend of thebolt of considerablelength sothat thearm E will retain thebolt at tsinner' position long enough to prevent the plate A risnormallysheld at the rearward limit of its ring andinterfering with the foldingmovements of the platesfB and C. :The bolt H is movement andout" of thepath 1 of the spring latch h, by a small spring jt secured with-v n t eo singM-u a l shown inFig. "13, by-means of the dotted linewhichindicates the section of the sheet being folded at the timethat thevplate A descends upon the base, the middle por- 'tion of'thesheet liesbeneath the plate and the side portions lie above the plates Bjand 'Cin-su ch position thata'sthe plates B and are 'rotatediovergand upon theplate A to becarried' with these plates and foldedupon theplatei Aasindicabedfin Fig. 14. Consequently at; the completion of the foldingmovement of the several plates the sheet of .paper is wrapped around theplate A c and l'iesi between the plates A, B, and} C, but at this, timethe; edges of the foldsa're not and should the plates be returned totheir original positions the sheet would .notbe Permanently folded. Tocomplete the folding orthe sheet j-I provide means 1 for CfaSi V retainin its-folded condition after rell or this purpose I, provideranged inY'alinement withlthe, folded edge 0f .thc sheet, that. is, insubstantial alineinent withthej edges of, the several plates when t yare i rf jl p s an a ar fie -as fthe sheetgt-fisf 'gwithdrawn'longitudinally. to pregressi vely thcfolded edgesthereofi 1 'Iiarrangeone creaserin line with eachedge'; 1 E60,

and each QQItSi t SQOf a; light spring a secured at one: end with itsfree end"pro ect-' ing' beneaththe outer endbftjhe'bracketw: Ithat'carries the-outer bearing of one of the 1 P a es- T gp i sabear upon. t

Pe id ofi he cket as a r ryas qw 1n ,-;Figs. 12 and 12? and the bracketis bev eled inwardly upwardly in l orden-thfi-fi the folded sheetwill beguided intoposition- I p the bracket and spring aslthesheetj viswithdrawn fromits folded 'position -iThe en t -pcrtiensof t e-0 W en f Ia providing] recesses or openings ea, Ibb,x.,and

ca respectivelygattheir free ends to permit the grasplngof the folded;sheetisoithat it 1% h ifOlds so that the. sheet will be 6 screwd kmay-be withdrawnlengthwise from the sevoral plates. creasethetransversefolds, or rather; the

first or original fold produced by the swinging down of the plate A, asthe thumb or finger of the operator in. grasping the sheet presses theseveral layers together and thus makes the folds permanent, or, in otherwords, creases them. "In addition to this, I'make the creaser feet a"wide enough to overlap thisend portion of the folded sheet and as-thesheet is'withdrawn the first action of the creasers is to crease theouter parts, of the end fold, themiddle portion thereof being: creasedby being grasped. V

For convenience 1n asping the end of the folded sheet to withdraw itfrom its folded position, Iprovide the "central part of the base beneaththe overlapped outer ends vof the plates with a large recess d to permitthe, fingers to be inserted beneath the sheet. 1 v v v As indicated inFig.,z8, l may connect a .link Lto the handle]? byfapivot Z for thepurpose of operating the machine, by

Imalre use of this feature to v power rather thanbyhand, the link orconnection being operated byisome suitable 1007 upon horizontally;arranged U-shaped bars 03 1', the upper member; d of which, lies aparallel withythe upper-face of the base and the lower membei" do entersthe base through itsfrear. wall. ,Theinner "ends of these U-shapedgbarsare .jOinedtOea cross bar at" mounted within thebox; This cross bariszcarried upon a screwshaftd which projects through the rear wall ofthebox and isheld against endwise movement, the 'outerend ofthe shaftsbeing provided with a" knurled head al The; bar at". is pro vided'with.aithreaded hole (P to receivefthe V screw; shaft d and by means" ofwhich the a bar (11" is moved back and forth within the boxcarryin'gfthe stops d with it'. To

hold thebar d andithe stops-d in proper alinement, I "provide; .a.second bearing d.

on the vbarfduqfor the shaft (1. and spaced from the threaded hole; d?.xThe inner end offthescrewshaft ismounted for rotation; inf'ajbearingprovided} ina bra-cketrd in h i Y which the inner ends oftheshaftsdandd27 are; also mounted. a Likewisethe stbpEd is y carried upon :twoU.-shapedfrods 01 which in like manner with the rods d enter the side of.th'eq'base and are mounted upon ,a

cross band? which -is adjustable trans versely of the boxby meansof anadjusting At timesit is desirable to fold up 'a' sheet which is longerthan the combined width ofthe plates A, B,and C, and which,'when placedin position upon the machine, with one end against the stop (Z projectsover the base of the machine at the opposite side. In folding such asheet it is possible that the projecting end 'of the sheet will dragsufficiently to prevent the accurate folding of the sheet, and toprevent this action ll provide a laterally extending shelf J upon thebase, located atthe side opposite to the stop (Z and I provide anauxiliary folding plate 7' secured to the adjacent side bar a of theframe al This auxiliary plate 7' isyieldingly resilient, similar to theplate A and acting in coeperation with plate A helps to fold theoverhanging outer end of thesheet. I make this auxiliary plate of suchstrength that it does not retain the sheet upon the shelf J withsufficient friction to prevent its withdrawal when the adjacent sideplate C tends to fold the sheet beneath the plate B. 1 provide anopening in the shelf J to receive the free end j of the auxiliary platej and this plate acts similarly' to theplate A in yieldingly stoppingthe frame a at each limit of its movement.

Turning our attention now to Figs. 17 to 28, inclusive, I have hereillustrated some of the many ways of folding sheets of pa per of whichmymachine is capable. The shaded portion in each instance shows thefinal size or area'of the completely folded sheet. For instance, Fig.1?shows a simple two-folchthat is, the sheet is folded upon a longitudinalmedial line m and has but one crea'sed'fold. For su'ch a purpose thesheet is laid upon the machine with one end upon the plate B and theother extending between the plates B and (has shown in Fig. 28. Theplate A is then brought down upon the sheet tohold it, and the plate Bis then rotated over and upon the plate A. In all of these foldings itwill-be understood that in the withdrawal of the sheet from the foldedposition between the plates, the folds are creased to permanentlypreserve the sheet in its folded. condition. Fig. 18 illustrates whatmay be termed the two-fold sheet folded at the dotted lines m and m thatis, the sheet is of such a length that when laid upon themachine itextends across and over theplate'sB and C, but does not extend up ontothe plate A. l The plate A is then brought down upon the sheet betweenthe plates B and C, as shown in Fig. 24-, and

the plates B and C are rotated over and upon theplate' A, as shown inFig. 30. Fig. 19 illustrates what may be termed the four-fold, thatis,-where the sheet is'folded upon three lines W m and m In thisinstance the sheet is longer than the 'ex treme width of the plates Band C and when placed in position projects beyond the plate C, but asthe plate C is rotated over upon plate A in advance of plate B, plate Ccarries the long end of the sheet beneath plate B and plate B thuscompletes the last or third fold m of the sheet, folding the sheet asclearly shown in Fig. 31 upon three lines. Figs. 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, and28 illustrate the folding'of sheets which are longer than the length ofthe plates 33 and C on line m and which, when placed in position uponthe machine, extend up upon the plate A. The first operation in thefolding of these sheets, as has been fully described, is that of foldinthe long end of the sheet down upon the end which lies upon the plates Band C by means of the plate A and thereafter the sheet is folded in thesame manner. as that described in relation to Figs. 17, 18, and 19.

I do not herein claim the novel method of folding sheets of paper, butrefer instead to my copending application, Serial No. 850,491, of evendate herewith.

As many modifications of my invention will readily suggest themselves toone skilled in the art, 1 do not limit or confine my invention to thespecific structures herein shown and described.

I claim:

1. In a paper-folding machine provided with a substantially flat surfacefor receiving a sheet of paper to be folded, a relatively thin fiatholder having parallel side edges and of smaller'area than the sheet tobe folded adapted to be positioned over the paper to prevent the directmovement of the paper away from said surface, rotatable formers adjacentto said holder, adapted to be positioned beneath the unheld portions ofthe paper and to be rotated over said parallel edges and upon and inparallel relation to the holder to fold the paper thereupon, andcreasers in line with said parallel edges of the holder for creasing theedges of the folds as the folded sheet is withdrawn.

2. In a paper folding machine provided with a substantially flat surfaceadapted to receive a sheet of paper to be folded, a relatively thinobstruction member having sub stantially parallel'side edges movabletoward and away from said surface and adapted to be positionedsubstantially in contact with and above a portion of the sheet to befolded, and extending from edge to edge thereof, rotatable formers.arranged at the parallel sides of said obstruction member adapted tolift the unobstructed portions of the sheet and form them over and uponsaid obstruction, and yielding pressers arran ed in alinement with theparallel edges of said member adapted tocrease the edges of the foldedsheet as it is withdrawn from the machine.

3. In a paper folding machine a fixed support and a movable supporttogether formand adapted, in its final position, to hold. I the foldedsheet upon said. fixed support,

ing a surface toreceive asheet of paper to be folded, means for 'movingsaid movable support over and upon and lntoj'subs't'antial contact withsaid fixed support for folding aisheet of paper, said movablesupportbeingof. less width than the sheet of paper formers adjacent, tothe final position of said movable isupportadapted t be rotated over andupon and into substantially par:

allel re1ationwith said'movable support.

- 4. In a paper folding machine a fixed paper support and a movablepaper support togetherformin a surface to receive asheet of paper to belolded, means for;;s.winging said movable support over, upon and-into 7substantmljcontact with saidfixed, support r 1 for foldin a sheetofpaper, said movable support being of less area than the sheet of paperandgadaptedin its final positiomto prevent the direct movement of thefolded sheet from said fixed support, a rotatable pliiteladjacent itothe final position ofsa'id movable supportgadapted to be rotated overand upon the movable support, whenit is final position, to. fold thepartly folded 3 sheet at right angles tothe firstfold.

Y i 5. In a paper folding machine a'f fixed paper support and movablepaper support together forming a substantially continuous surfacetoreceive a. sheetof paper to be fifoldedi'means for "swinging: saidmovable 1 supportovenupon and into substantial con- M 88 tact-withflsaidfixed support for folding a sheetjof paper, said movable support havlnsubstantially parallel side edges, being 0 [less area than thesheet ofpaper "and adapted, inits'final position, to hold vthe folded r sheetupon said 'fixed support, a rotatable plate adjacent-te ths finalposition of said movable support adapted to be i-otated over and uponthemovablesupporn'when in its final positijonyto fold the partly foldedsheet at right angles to the first-(fold, anda fold oreaser' inlinetwithqthe adjacent edges-of the movable support and the plate;

6. In a paper folding machine a base mem- '.".In; a paper foldingdevice, a base provided with a fiat surface and ,a: movable V i 7 memberhaving a substantially flat surface rotatable v into contact therewith,rotatable plates mounted upon the base adaptedto be substantially flatsurface rotatedover and upon the movable member,'after the same has beenbrought to rest, to fold a sheet of papenand fold cr'easers arranged inalinement with the respective edges of the'movable member and rotatableplates. i V

, 8. A paper. f0

substantially flat surface to receive a sheet of paper toybe folded, amovable member forming part of said: surface adapted to be rotated intoparallel relation to the fixed portion. of said. surface to fold a sheetof paper, said member being of less width than the paper to i be folded,rotatable. formers carried byfsaid machine, separated, sulficiently toreceivesaid movable member and adapted tobe rotatedfover, and upon saidmember after it has' reached its final pos'i- 1 tion,:an operating leveradapted to move said ,member into itsJfinal-i position, means permittingthe forward movement "of. the

ldingf machine having a 'lever' after; said member has reached its finalposition, and means operatively' con- 11Gtll1g Sa1dd8VQr with saidformers for 110-; a

tating them after said member. has been brought Ito-a state of rest. 1 r

'9. A paper folding machine having a sub fstantially fiat surfaceto'receive'a sheet of paper to be folded, a movable member formingpartof said surface and adapted to be rotated finto parallel relationto the fixed portion of said surface to fold a sheet of paper,saidxmemberbeing of less width than a the paper to lee-folded, rotatableformers carried" by said machine,-i separated sufficiently to receivesaidmovable member and adapted .to'b'e rotatedone in advance. of theother'o'ver andontosaid member-after it' had reachedits final position,an operatin lever for moving'sald member into its fina position,connections between said lever'and said member permitting the forwardmovementof the lever after said member has reached its final position,and holdingsaid member locked, and means operativel connecting saidlever withsaid formers or rotatiiig them after the,member 'hasybeen Ibrought to astate of rest.

' :10. -A' paper folding. machine having 'a fixed andfla relativelymovable member togetherform'ing a substantially flat surfacefoIi'receiving a sheet of paper to be folded, stops arranged upon thefixed member for retaining the paper in position, said movable" memberbeingjadapted to; be rotated over and upon .the fixed member to fold asheet of paper,'and rotatable plates carried byisaid fixedgmember adated to be rotated over and upon-said mova 1e member after thefolding ofthe paper. y a

v11. A paper folding machine having a fixed and a relatively movablemember provided with surfaceswhich together form "a for receiving a ithasreached itsfinalposition to complete Shea of papers at: fdlded,adjustable stops upon the fixed-member to" fold the sheet of paper,'rotatable plates carried by said fixed member 'adapted'to be rotatedover and upon said" movablemeinber afternit has reached itsFfi'nalpositionfandyielding members arranged to crease the-folds of the sheetas itis withdrawn'fromjthe machine.

"12;;Ai aper folding"- machine having a liked, and a'relatively movable'member pro- 7 vided with" surfaces which together fo'rin a;

substantially flat surface for receiving-1 a sheet of paper tobe folded,adjustable stops arrangecrupoa the" fiXedfmembe'r for retaining thepaperin position, said movable membeing; adapted to1'befrotate'd overand upon the fixedinieinbef to fold, the sheet of paper, said movablemember being provided with a'fiiie'd stop coa'ctingwith saidadjustablestop s to controlthefolding of the sheet of paper, rotatableplates,- carried by said fixed member adapted to be rotatedover and @611said movable nieinber after it has r'each'ed itsfinal position; v d

13. In'a machine for folding a* sheet of paper, a b se'ihaving asubstantially level surface-and arig-i'drot'atable frame carried by'slaidfbas'e "and provided 'with a substantially fiat spring "plate, theplate and the flat surfaceof thebas e together forming a sheet receivingsurface, said frame being" adapted to be rotated relatively tothe'baseto fold a sliee'tiof p'aper, said plate bein'gfadaptedto be sprungfout'of its; normal position atieach limit'of' the movement of said frametocushio'ntheblow thereof and to' eziert' a pressure uponlthe paper 'when' in contact with the base."

14; In a machine for folding f'a: sheet of paper, abase having a'snbstanti'allyleyel top surface rigid rotatable" frame carried saidbase and "provided with a substantialy'flat spring "plate havingparallel side edge'sfthepl'ateand the fiat surface of the base'togeth'erforming "a sheetfreceivi ng surface, saidplate beingfadapt'ed to berotated towardand upon the base to 'fold a sheet of paperandbe'ing'adapted to be sprung outof its normalposition at each limit ofthe movemer t of 'said frame to cushion the blow membrane, to exert apressure upon the paper when in contact with the base, and a folding'plat'eimounted on the baseat each sid'e' of'the"final'position of saidspring plate adapted to be rotated over and upon said spring plate tocomplete the folding of a sheet of-paperl 7 151111 a aper foldingmachine, a base hams s11 stantially fiat surface, a frame rotat'aly'mounted onsaid base, a flat pres sure late carried by thefrarhe,lever oper connected With-tire frame for rotat ing it intosubstantiallyfparallel relation tothe baseand said plate lllbOfQOIlbZlCb with the surface of the base, a crank connected to the leverand aslotted' arm connected to the framasaid crank being adapted tooperate in said slot to move the frame and to be withdrawnfronrtheslot-as the plate con tacts with the ba se, and a locking projection onsaid slotted arm adapted to contactwithsaid crankto hold said plate incontact with the base as said levermoves forward tocompletet'hefoldingof; the sheet, Y

16. In apaperfolding machine having a substantially flat=surface uponwhich the paper'isto be folded,- a rotatable member adapted to berotated'down and-into contact wi tlrsaid-surface, foldingi platescarried on said machine adapted'to be rotated over and upon said memberafterithas reached said surface, an operating' lever, a makeandbreakconnection" between said operating le ver and the rotatable memberpermittingthe lever to move forward after therotata ble member'is in'itsfinalpositiomand makeand-break connections between said lever and saidfolding plates for rotating them, onefin-advance of,;the other over uponsaid rotatableniember. ,v v:

;1'Z. In a paper. folding machine a base having 5 a f substantiallyvflat surface, and a rotatable memberimounted upon'said base havingatfiatisurfaceadapted to be rotated down into contact, with the surfacevof the base, an. operating lever. adapted to move said rotatablemember,.a pin-and-slot con-' nectionbet-ween said lever and member .permitting thelever to move forward after the member has reachedaits: finalposition, and nieanszfor locking said member in its final position. 1"

.18.'In a paper folding machine a base havinguasubstantially flatsurface, and a rotatable anember :provided with a centrally arrangedplate adaptedto be rotated into contactrwith the flat surface to fold: asheet ofpaper; a lever for operating said movable memberand alockingmember operatedby said lever adapted to hold, said rotatable member inits depressed position.

'19.'In a paper. folding machine a base havingaa,snbstantially fiatsurface a rotatable. member carried bythe base andprovided with acentrally arranged plate adaptedto be rotated into contact withthemiddle portionof said flat surface to fold a sheet of paper, a; leverfor operating: said movable member, a locking member operated by saidlever adaptedtohold said rotatablej member in, its depressedposition,and plates mounted onsa'id base adapted to be rotated over and upon saidcentrally arranged plate to fold a sheet of papera I 20. In a paperfoldingmachine a base provided with a substantially fiat surface and arotatable member moantedonthe base gca {1a substantially flat;plate,,thesur-I face an plate together beingadapted to -re'.

ceiveasheet ofpaper tojbe folded,'means forjswingingsaid rotatablemember tobring said; plate into parallel relation to and upon said flatsurface for folding azsheet of aper, a spring catch carried by said movale member, a lever for operating said movable member, and abolt carriedby said base op-;-

erable by said' leyerlto be'projected into the path of saidsprmgcatchlfor. retaining said movable member in its depressed positlona1- 4 21 111 a; paper-folding machine a fixed memberhaving asubstantially fiat? surface anda member. canying'a flat plate rotatablymounted upon sa' Hfixe'dmembenand mov-Q able? to position said-plateupon said fiat sur face, said. platethe fixed member adapted to berotated over and-upon: said} plate aftersthe; same has;

- i eechedits final-v pmition, and. fold cr'easers V positioned inialinement with the edges-of.

I said, movable member, for creasing the folds as the. folded sheet iswithdrawn from the 7 machine. 3-:

I p -22. i a paper member having a substantially flat and a membercarlying a flatplate rotatably mounted, upon sai face said-bplatex beingnarrower. than the fixemember, rotatable formers carriedvby the fixedmember, adapted to'be rotated over and upon said plate after the sameYihas reached its final position, and foldfcreasers carriedTby the basein alinement with (the :f

adjacent 'side edges; of isaid formerscfor 1 creasing the folds ofa:sheet'ias it is drawn from the machine,

In a aper folding"deviceabase hav ing a substa ntially' flat surface androtatable in'gadapted tobe rotatedfover andupon said formers thereonspaced apart, a frame carried by[ the base having a forming plateadapted to" be rotated down and :upon said between the formers, saidformers-bepla-te after the plate has reached its final position andspring pressers carried by said base in alinement with thenedges ofjsaidplate and adapted to crease the' edges of the folded paperf as it e iswithdrawn;

: machine. J

' its plates arrangedsubs'tantially iii-a: single gamma side by side,their adjacent edges ing substantially paralleLthe middle plate beingadapted to be positionedabove asheet :of" paper tobe folded'and' theouter plates arrangedbelow the paper'to' be'folded and rotatable overand uponfthemiddle: plate,

7 and yieldable means for creasingthe folded edges as the folded'she'eti's-withdrawn from "themachine. 1 1 13 paper I folding machin threebeing narrower than the fixed "member, rotatable formersnc'arried by W'baseand movable-to, po-T sition said plate in contactwithi said =sun.

'toiits sheet-holding;position.-,-

24, In a paper machine, three plates arranged substantially-; in,a'single;

planeand side by side,the adjacent'edgw being substantially parallel,the middle plate: being adapted, ,to be positioned above the. paper tobe folded and the outer plates a r ranged below the paper to be foldedand I'D-1' tatableover and-upon the, middleplate, to; a

fold a sheet of paper, the three plates bein Provided. at their ,free.ends with space prongs providing a free open space to permit thegrasping 'of a folded sheet for with-l drawa'lfrom? the machine, andyielding pressers arranged in alinement with said adjacent paralleledges-for .creasingthe folds as the sheet .is withdrawn from themachine. r 26; InQaHpaper folding. machine, two op positely disposedrotatable plates by spaced apart and normally lying .in'the same plane,av-thirdplate hingedly mounted uponsmd machine adapted to be-broughtdown sub:

stantially into; the planeof said rotatable. if

plates and between same, and means for} rotating'saidrotatableplatesover and upon the middle plate one in-advance of the other-x, p .27;Inapaper folding machin W0 PP sitelydisposed rotatable platesspaced'apart and normally lying-in .thef'same plane, "athirdiplate'ghinge' 1y mounted upon said machine; adapted to be broughtdown into the planeof said rotatable plates ,and bee tweenjsame, meansfor, rotating said 3 rota- 28; In a paper' folding machine,flthreesubstantially -flat movable folding members arranged tOJI'WBi VG, asheet ofpaper to be folded and to be moved successively to 'fold asheet,,one of said members being movable to a position hetweenrthe othertwo and upon a sheet tobe; o1ded, a single operator'ope a 1.10andlocking means retaining-two :of the eratively connected with all ofsaid members,

members. in their sheetfl receivinglpositions during the movement of theother member 29.-.In' apaper folding machine, substantially. flatmovable foldin'g members arranged to receive a; sheetfof paper to befolded and tobemoved successivelyto folda sheet, one ofsaid membersbeing'movable to a position between the other two and upon asheet-to, befolded. asingle operator operati vely connected with all of saidmembers,

locking means retaining the two outer members in their sheet receivingpositions until the middle member has been movedto its sheet-holdingposition, and means locking themiddlemember in its sheet-folding posi?tionduring the folding movementsof'the two othermembers; 30.In'?acpaperyfolding. machine a support and a relatively movable supporttogether forming a surface to receive a sheet of paper to be folded,means for moving said movable support over and upon and into substantialcontact with said first mentioned support for folding a sheet of paper,said movable support being of less width than the sheet of paper andadapted, in its final position to hold the folded sheet upon said firstmentioned support, formers adjacent to the final position of saidmovable support adapted to be rotated over and upon and intosubstantiallyparallel relation with said movable support.

31. In a paper folding machine a paper support and a relatively movablepaper support together forming a surface to receive a sheet of paper tobe folded, means for V swinging said movable support over, upon and intosubstantial contact with said first mentioned support for folding asheet of paper, said movable support being of less area than-the sheetof paper and adapted, in its final position, to prevent the directmovement of the folded sheet from said first mentioned support, arotatable plate adjacent to the final position of said movable supportadapted to be rotated over and upon the movable support, when it is infinal position, to fold the partly folded sheet at right angles to thefirst fold.

32. A paper folding machine having a substantially flat surface toIGCGlXG a sheet of paper to be folded, a movable member forming part ofsaid surface adapted to be r0- tated into parallel relation to the otherportion of said surface to fold a sheet of paper, said member being ofless width than the paper to be folded, rotatable formers carried bysaid machine, separated sufficiently to receive said movable member andadapt ed to be rotated over and upon said member after it has reachedits final position,

an operating lever adapted to control the movement of said member intoits final position, means permitting the forward movement of the leverafter said member has reached its final position, and means whereby saidlever controls the rotation of said formers after said member has beenbrought to a state of rest.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 8th day of July,1914, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

l/VALTER E. AMBERG.

\Vitnesses EDWARD F. WVILSON, L. H. FLAGGE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents Washington, D. G.

